Demolition starts on coventry housing estate to make way for 750 new homes

Demolition starts on coventry housing estate to make way for 750 new homes


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Pictures taken at the demolition of a 1960s Coventry housing estate shows the progress of the project. Spon End's Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House were all condemned as


part of plans to regenerate the historic area. Demolition initially started last month, with work taking place inside the homes to remove all fixtures and fittings before a heavy machinery


was brought onto site to bring the buildings down bit by bit. The demolition of the three blocks will see more than 750 homes built across three phases. In the first phase, 158 homes will be


demolished, and, subject to planning permission, 261 affordable homes will be built in their place. Of these homes 209 will be social rent homes and 52 will be rent to buy homes which are


initially let at an intermediate rent of 80% of the market rent and can be later purchased. READ MORE: POPULAR ATTRACTION CLOSED AS POLICE SEARCH FOR MAN WHO FELL INTO WATER Housing


association Citizen is working with The Hill Group to make way for the new housing. Coventry City Council, Homes England and West Midlands Combined Authority are also key partners supporting


the delivery of the project. Director of Regeneration Services at Citizen, Kevin Roach, said: "It’s great to see the physical demolition of Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar


House underway at Spon End in Coventry. "We have stripped the homes, which were built in the 1960s, of fixtures and fittings and the demolition of these will take place over the next


few months. "The regeneration of Spon End is a major project for us. It will see the area transformed by providing more energy efficient affordable housing, increasing the area and


quality of green open space and opening up the area of the River Sherbourne. "We have put the community at the heart of this project and their priorities and feedback have influenced


our plans for the area. Work on this site will continue over the next 10 years and we’re looking forward to starting building works on the first phase in Spring 2026." The three blocks


which are being demolished have previously been used as part of various BBC productions including This Town, My Name is Leon and Phoenix Rise. Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands,


said: “We’re turbocharging house building across the West Midlands but it’s all just bricks and mortar if we aren’t building homes that residents can afford. “Thousands of families across


the region are forced to live in poor quality, temporary accommodation because we simply aren’t building enough genuinely affordable homes. “Spon End is an iconic site with a strong


community spirit, but the housing is no longer fit for purpose. Citizen is transforming the estate with hundreds of modern, social and affordable homes, and I know the community spirit will


grow stronger as a result. “In my first 12 months in office, I’ve funded over 500 social homes. That’s more than we’ve ever funded before. But it’s going to take all of us working together


to tackle this housing crisis. It’s going to take all of us to make sure everyone has a warm, safe place they can call home.” Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and


Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: “When I was here just last month the fittings were being removed from the properties, and we can now see that demolition work is well underway.


“There is no doubt that the redevelopment of the area will make a big difference to the local environment and deliver much needed better homes for people. That’s why it is such an important


project that is only happening because of the commitment of a number of organisations working alongside local residents.” Demolition works on the three blocks are due to be complete in


early 2026, with plans to start building the new homes in Spring 2026. These homes, which will be one and two-bed flats, are due to be completed and handed over to customers late 2028.